If you agree that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, you could say that the world premiere of RIP—A Musical Comedy of Life & Death is certainly funnier than calculating your annual income taxes. But not by much. The new musical opened July 17 in a small thrust-theater space in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, located just south of downtown.
RIP (pronounced "rip") takes place in a fictitious mortuary, presided over by imperious head mortician George McCobb (sounds like “macabre,” get it?). Eight actors portray five living and five deceased characters. In this world, the “dead” characters mostly spend their time hovering around the fringes of the stage (until they take center stage to sing a song or participate in a couple of production numbers.) The characters, both living and dead, must deal with their feelings of loss, sorrow, regret, unfulfilled dreams and a lifetime of memories.
The musical, written by Milwaukee native Robert Grede, takes viewers through well-trod territory in this show. The musical is produced by Greg Ryan and directed by Alan Piotrowicz, both of whom have Milwaukee roots. The show is being produced by an independent theater company under the sponsorship of producer Greg Ryan.
The musical's 16 songs are sprinkled throughout the production. Most of them are forgettable, with four exceptions: the kookily upbeat “Doing the Zombie Dance;” the soulful “One More Day;” George McCobb’s romantic ballad, “One Wish;” and a miraculous discovery by one of the deceased, “(It’s) All Coming Back.”
Surprisingly, all of the best songs appear in the second act. The four-piece orchestra, under the direction of Jessi Kolberg, is tucked neatly into one corner of the stage. The sound is precisely calibrated by Mike Van Dreser’s sound design. The musicians and singer’s voices are nicely balanced.
In addition to the stiff-backed mortician (played masterfully by Shayne Patrick), the cast includes his wife (Stephanie Beschta), Vic, his young apprentice (played with goofy charm by Ethan Smith), and one of the mortuary's customers, a grieving sister (Elisebeth Sparks as Julia). There’s also a hyperactive hospice nurse (Krista Rose). Among the deceased characters is an older businessman (Tom Marks); a young, single mother (Taylor Miñan); and a John Doe (Cory J. O’Donnell). The cast members all have wonderful voices, which one wishes were put to better use through better songs.
The characters rarely extend beyond their stereotypes, so the vital connection between them and the audience isn’t made until nearly the end the of the show. For instance, George the mortician isn't as bad as initially described, despite his money-grubbing mentality displayed in Act I. And Vic, the well-meaning apprentice, is far more prepared to step up in his profession than he realizes.
Some of the show’s black humor is quite unfunny and even disturbing. When a hospice worker (Krista Rose) shows up at the mortuary wanting a job, her character does a disservice to all the real-life, kindhearted hospice workers who are skilled and devoted to their work. When George asks Krista why she wants to change career fields, she replies, “your patients don’t talk back.” Another of the show's typical jokes can be found in this exchange between the deceased Chrissie and mortician George. "Being dead really stinks," Chrissie says. "Oh, that's the formaldehyde," George replies, casually.
Although the show's focus is shared equally among the characters, the most memorable are George the mortician, his hard-working but socially inept assistant Vic, and the lovely (and deceased) young mother, Emily.
One wishes more attention could have been focused on the plight of Joe Doe. For most of the show, he only wants to know who he really is and why he ended up at the morgue. Actor Cory O’Donnell (as John Doe) does a good job of keeping the audience in suspense until almost the final scene. Another overlooked character is the deceased Doris (also played by Stephanie Beschta). Her remarkable journey through dementia, told so captivatingly in her song, “All Coming Back,” makes the audience want to know much more about her character. But by this time, the plot is winding down.
If nothing else, RIP is a great showcase for local talent. The younger cast members are either graduates of state university theater programs or the renowned acting internship program created by one of the city’s leading theaters.
The show’s technical highlights include: a versatile set by Colin Gawronski, who also does the lighting; Nikki Heiniger’s inventive costume color palette; and Mike Van Dreser’s sound. Ami Majeskie’s choreography needs to be sharper and have a lot more sizzle. For instance, the “zombie” dance moves get repetitive when seen for the fifth or sixth time in one number.
If reworked into something more coherent (and funnier), RIP could have promise. It is clear that a lot of thought, effort and money went into this project. Occasionally, the script rises above the mediocre to truly delight and inspire. If only those moments were more frequent, this musical could have a chance at success.
RIP-A Musical Comedy of Life & Death continues through July 28 at the Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee. The show runs 2 hours, 30 minutes with one intermission. For more information, visit RIP-TheMusical.com. Ticket information is at NextAct.org/show/RIP.
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